Transistor handling apparatus



Feb. 25, 1964 L. P. ZIMMERMAN ETAL 3,122,179

TRANSISTOR HANDLING APPARATUS '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1961 INVENTORS LOUIS P. ZIMMERMAN BY ALBERT W. ZEMEK A TTORNE Y Feb. 25, 1964 Filed Dec. 6, 1961 FIGZ L. P. ZIMMERMAN ETAL 3, ,179

TRANSISTOR HANDLING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS LOUIS P. ZIMMERMAN BY ALBERT W ZEMEK A TTORNE Y Feb. 25, 1964 L. P, ZIMMERMAN ETAL 3,122,179

TRANSISTOR HANDLING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 6, 1961 FIGS INVENTORS LOUIS Pv ZIMMERMAN ALBERT W. ZEMEK ORNEY 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 F|Gl3 FIGI4 1.. P. ZIMMERMAN ETAL TRANSISTOR HANDLING APPARATUS llq lllllll III/III T T 9$) in.

Feb. 25, 1964 Filed Dec.

INVENTORS LOUIS P. ZIMMERMAN BY ALBERT W. ZEMEK ATTORNEY FIGI5 Feb. 25, 1964 L. P. ZIMMERMAN ETAL 3,122,179

TRANSISTOR HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 6, 1961 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fl(5.l8

HG W 1 INVENTORS LOUIS R ZIMMERMAN BY ALBERT w ZEMEK 9% Q Wag/a A TTORN E Y Feb. 25, 1964 L. P. ZIMMERMAN ETAL 7 TRANSISTOR HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 6, 1961 7 Shets-Sheet 7 INVENTORS LOUIS P. ZIMMERMAN By ALBERT W. ZEMEK A TTORNE Y United States Patent ()fifice Patented Feb. 25, 1%64 3,122,179 IDLING APPARATUS 3 Alhcrt f. Zemek, both oi 23618 to Universal instruments aeration, Bing-amnion, N.i.., a corporation oi New 1,

The present invention rel tes to apparatus for handling tran lstors, or sir al corn nonents hav ng leads extenng from the body thereof, and more particularly to apparatus for coznb 'ng the leads and then feeding the tr nsistor to a rece; nernoer. The receiving member d iosed tener, there being a guide to is a lead stra V gnade the leads to the strei hte er.

Apparatus heretofore developed for the handling of the leads of a large number of electrical corngaonents has generally been in the field of electric lamps and so-called vacun 1 tubes. Generally, the known apparatus is either partia y hand-operated, makin it necessarily slow, r is specir, lly adapted to th pa ticular i ms noted. in

:ther case, tLfi lmown aoparatus is unsnita to the ragid and automatic prodnc 'l oi transistors, wnerein special requirements config ns a e met.

An objec of the pres n. -nvei. on is to provide appas to enable the r d automatic combing and tening of tr or leads, or the like.

tlzer object of tnesent invent is the provision of an apparatus for con.' g the leans of a transistor or the like.

ention is to ero- --old the transistor r g of the Jan- LL 1 n 1 A tanner oo ect or tne present invention is the pror-1entary guide for the leads of a trang of the transistor.

er object of the sent invention is to provide a guide for the of a transistor; a guide which will pos ively receive and g de the L. -s; and a guide err-.oved from he oath of the transistor vision of a s sistord on is provision e above obj cts and in operation.

ant advantages of low or a transistor lead comber present invention.

-. l an elevan tener ir accordance with elevational View taken on the line 3-3 of elevational view tel-zen on the line 44 of evational view of a part of the mechanism FIG. 4, showing the parts a dirT-erent position thereof.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the of 2.

is a cross-sectional View 7.

line 77 taken on the line 88 invention, taken on the opposite side thereof from FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional View similar to FIG. 7, showing the parts after an initial movement thereof.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional View similar to FIG. 12,

and showing the parts after still further movement thereof. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 14l4- of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14, and showing the parts after further movement.

FIG. 16 is a side elevational View showing a supplementary guide attached to a lead comoer and feeder.

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view thereof.

FIG. 18 is an elevational view of the supplementary guide ,per se.

FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 13, parts in a difierent position.

FIG. 20 is an elevational View of the lead guide and strai htener, taken on line of FIG. 1.

21 is a view similar to HG. 16, but showing the rent position thereof.

an elevational view of the die block of the but showing the 15 enlarged view of the die block shown in Setters! Description the nresent invention, transistors or iflg at end or body portion and three res are placed in a predeterhnte, with the leads exte ding in ection, the leads being somewhat 'o n the chute, a feeder mecharnsm e n isis tors one at a time into a nest, which is a feed Jolt. A retainer arm serves to .1 head in the nest, and a pair of cc 1b elements, car ed by a pair of comb arms, are caused to close and to thereby gr 9 the extending leads. These comb elements grip the leads closely adjacent the transistor t then move away from the transistor head so as to some or separate the leads. These comb elements travel approximately to the free ends of the leads, dur u this motion, w ch is relatively rapid, the feed bolt beg to move in the same direction, carrying the nest and th transistor head with it. The transistor leads a e thereby inserted into holes in a guide device, desig- 3, t the tran istor head and the nest to move through theplane for rly occupied by the comb elements. The being peeked generally axially through the holes in iris guide enter appropriate openings in a set of die the iris guide. ine feed bolt continues its g the tra, sistor head not only through e plane formerly occupied by the comb elements, but so through the plane formerly occupied by the iris guide 1. emcnt, which has been re racted prior to the transistor head reaching the plane thereof. The retainer arm having greviously been moved to a wi hdrawn position, an ejector pin pushes from within the feed bolt against the transistor head to give it its final movement towards the die blocks. The feed bolt and comb carriage and related mechanisms are then retracted to an initial position.

When the leads of the transistor are in the die block, a garessure is exerted on one of the die blocks to eliect a h g of the leads. A receiver chute, synchronized guide mechanism rises to receive the head supplementary guide comprises a pair of grooved guide blocks which receive the leads as the nest moves forwardly and guides them until they are moved from out of the path of the nest and transistor head as these elements approach.

Alain Drive and Supply Alechanism A large number of transistors T are placed in a supply container 39, which is comprised of a vibrating bowl feed device 31 and a chute 32. The vibrating bowl feeder 31 causes the transistors to pass into a chute 32 in a predetermined orientation, and the leads of a number of transistors may be seen extending from the chute 32 in FIG. 1.

A main drive motor 33 is provided, this being a synchronous motor in its preferred form. Referring to H6.

2, a shaft 34 of motor 33 drives a main shaft 36 through a slip clutch 37. Shaft 36 carries a one lobe cam 35 which operates switch 45. ()n shaft 36 also is a support 38 which mounts three cylindrical cams 39, 46 and 41.

A cam follower 42 is reciprocated by cam 59, and is connected at 43 to a feed lever 44. Feed lever 44 is pivoted at 46 to the housing 47 for the cylindrical cam. Adjacent to but spaced from the forward end of lever 44, there is mounted an abutment plate 48 which causes an arm 49 of a switch 56 to move to close the switch 59 when the lever 44 is in its inner position.

The forward end of lever 44 is slotted at 51, the slot receiving the pin 52 shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Pin 52 depends from a pusher bar 53 which is guided in a housing 54 (FIG. 4). An end of pusher bar 53 is of generally arcuate formation, as at 56. Mounted on the housing 54 is a spring keeper 57.

In FIG. 4, the pusher bar 53 is shown approaching the lowermost transistor T held in the chute 32 and kept in position by the keeper 57. in FIG. 5, the pusher bar 53 has pushed the lowermost transistor out of the end of chute 32, overcoming the force of spring keeper 57, and has inserted the head of the transistor T into a nest 61 with the leads of the transistor extending forwardly through a slot 62 in a retainer 63. As shown in FIG. 5, the pusher bar 53 has completed its movement to the left, and is now proceeding to the right, which is its retracted position.

The Camber and Feeder The comber and feeder, designated 60, may be seen in FIG. 2 to comprise a feed bolt 65 and a comb car riage 85, these two elements being driven by the followers 28 and 29 from the cylindrical cams 41 and 4% respec* tively.

The feed bolt 65 carries the nest 61 at its forward or left end, and also carries, as shown on FEG. 8, the retainer arm 64. Retainer arm 64 is pivoted to feed bolt 65 by a pin 66, and carries at its forward end the retainer 63. A spring 67 carried in the feed bolt 65 urges the retainer arm 64 outwardly, or in a clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 8. The housing 47 of the comber and feeder mechanism 60 has a plate 68 with a slot 69 therein, as is shown also in FIG. 11, where the retainer arm 64 may be seen through the said slot 69.

The nest 61 is concave at its forward end, as is best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and has a generally axially extending bore in which is an injector 71 in the form of a rod. Ejector 71 is urged to its right hand or retracted position, which is shown in FIG. 8, by a spring 72 which abuts against a plate 73 on the ejector 71. The ejector 71 and spring 72 are in a bore 74 in feed bolt 65, and the ejector 71 may be actuated by a lever 76 which is pivotally supported by a pin 77 in feed bolt 65, one end of lever 76 abutting against an end of ejector 7:1 and the other end extending outwardly of feed bolt 65.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there are provided in the feed bolt 65 a pair of non-linear trackways 78 and 79, these controlling the movement of the comb arms, in a manner to be described below.

The comb carriage 85, as shown in FIG. 7, is movable longitudinally, and carries a pair of opposed comb arms 86 and 57, these comb arms being pivotally secured to comb carriage by the pins 88 and 89, respectively. A follower pin 99 is carried by the comb arm 86, and is shown in FIG. 2, and a similar follower pin 91 is carried by the comb arm 87, both of these pins being shown in cross-section in FIG. 9. Follower pin 9% ex-' tends into the trackway 78 of the feed bolt 65 and follower pin 91 extends into trackway 79 thereof. As will be understood, relative movement of feed bolt 65 and comb carriage 85 will cause the comb arms '86 and 87 to swing open or closed, as determined by the follower pins 96 and 91 in the trackways 78 and '79. This swinging movement of the comb arms 86 and 37 is permitted by slots 92 and 93 in the housing 47.

In FIG. 10, the comber and feeder 69 is further shown, and there may be seen the comb arms 86 and 37 with their follower pins and 91 extending into the trackways 78 and 79, with the pivots pins 38 and '59 in the comb carriage 85.

As is best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the comb arm 86 carries at its forward end a comb 94 having three recesses 96 between the teeth thereof and the comb arm '87 carries a comb 95 which also has three recesses 97 between the teeth thereof. The open position of the comb arms 86 and 37 is shown in FIG. 4 and the closed or overlapped position is shown in FIG. 6, this being the position in which the leads of the transistor T are shown extending through the recesses 96 and 97 and being gripped by the combs 94 and 95.

In FIGS. 8 and 10, the outer end of the lever 76 may be seen to extend into a slot 93 in comb carriage 85, at the forward end of which there is a trip 99, this being carried by comb carriage 85.

The operation will be understood by reference to FIGS. 12 to 15 primarily, considered in conjunction with the foregoing description. In FIG. 12, the transistor T is shown with its head seated in nest 61 and with the leads thereof grasped by the combs 94 and 95. The comb arms 86 and 87, carrying the combs 94- and 95, are moving to the left as viewed in FIG. 12, the retainer 63 holding the head of transistor T in place in nest 61. The comb arms 86 and 87 are being driven forward as the comb carriage 85 to which they are connected is being moved by follower 29 and its driving cam 46. The driving cam 41 of follower 28 is also, at this time, causing the feed bolt 65 to move to the left, but at a much slower rate. This action continues until the entire length of the leads of the transistor T has been acted on by the combs 94 and 95. The combs 94 and 95 are at the ends of the leads at the highest rise of cam 44 and due to a dwell on the cam 40, the comb arms 86 and S7 and combs 94 and 95 are maintained in their most forward, or leftmost, position. The feed bolt 65 then continues its movement, and because of the engagement of pins 9% and 91 in the trackways 73 and 79 on the feed bolt 65, the comb arms 86 and 87 are swung open as is shown in FIG. 13, the feed bolt 65 continuing to move the nest 61 and the transistor T carried thereby to the left and through the plane formerly occupied by the combs 94 and 95. Continued movement of the feed bolt 65 moves the retainer arm 64 past the end of slot 69 in plate 65, thereby permitting the spring 67 to move retainer arm 64 to the outward position shown in FIG. 14. At this instant, the only engagement of the transistor T with any part of the mechanism is the seating of the head of the transistor T in the nest 61. Immediately after the movement of retainer arm 64 to the position shown in FIG. 14, the outstanding arm of lever 76 engages the trip 99, the lever 76 thereby pivoting and the inner end thereof striking the ejector 71. This causes ejector 71 to move to the left, against spring 72, as is shown in FIG. 15, to thereby eject the transistor T out of the nest 61.

Following the ejecting of the transistor, continued rotation of the shaft '36 causes the parts to return to the initial or rest position.

The operation of the feed lever has been described above, it being noted, however, that when the feed lever 44 completes its travel to move the pusher bar 53 to place a transistor in the nest 61, the switch 5t} will be closed to thereby complete a circuit to permit the next cycle or" the apparatus, failure of the switch 50' to close, as would be occasioned by a jam in the machine, would stop the apparatus by opening the circuit to the motor 33. Also, switch 45 is a motor control switch which must be periodically actuated to permit the continued energization of motor 33.

Supplementary Guide To provide positive guidance of the leads after the combs are opened, a supplementary guide attachment may be provided.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in F168. 16 to 19 there is provided a comber and feeder 69 to which is attached a supplementary guide 170, comprising a pair of arms 171 and 172 carrying at their outer ends supplementary guide blocks 173 and 174. Three parallel and mating grooves 175 and 176 are provided in each of the blocks 173 and 174, as may be seen in FIG. 17. These grooves are in alignment with the recesses in the combs l and 95. The arms 71 has a cam 177 thereon, and the arm 172 has a similar earn 173. These cams are positioned in the path of movement of the feed bolt 65.

The supplementary guide 170 is shown in FEB. 18 to comprise a support bracket 18 3 to which the arms 171 and 172 are attached by pivots 181 and 182. The arms 171 and 172 have extending ends which are engaged by a spring 153 that acts upon them to urge the guide blocks 173 and 174 to their closed position, as shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18. The support bracket is provided with suitable holes to permit its attachment to the housing 47 of comber and feeder 6%, and is shaped so as to avoid interfering with the outward swinging movement of retainer arm 64.

in operation, the feed bolt 65 will move to the left, thereby opening the comb arms 86 and 87. The nest 61 will carry the head of transistor T so that the transistor T moves to the eft, thus inserting the lead wires into the holes in supplementary guide blocks 173 and 174 as provided by the grooves 175 and 176. This provides for positive guidance of the lead wires as the entire transistor T advances, and after release of the leads by the combs 94 and 95. As the head of transistor T approaches the guide blocks 1'73 and 174, feed bolt 65 will strike the cams 177 and 1.8, hereby forcing the arms 171 and 172 open, as shown in FlG. 19, this also opening the gu de blocks and 174 to permit passage of the tran- 1/; sistor T. Upon retraction of the feed bolt 65, after arms 171 and 172 to the position shown in 1 1G. 16.

Lead Guide and Straightener "e lead guide and straig tener 1 3 3 is shown in F183. The lead guide portion 161 comprises 1 which is generally perpendicular to the ment of the feed bolt 65. Rotatably mounted on the base plate 155 2 is an annulus 1&3. Annulus 193 has a center opening and a plurality of concentrically extending slots 194 through which pass the securing screws J whic are fastened to the base plate 1'32. An arcuate rack 1&7 is on the annulus 1 93, and is in mesh with the pinion 13S, driven by a motor 199 (FIG. 1).

Slidably mounted in a guide way 111 in and through base plate 162 is a first g ide block 112, guide block 112 having a generally V-shaped lower end with two halfcircle holes 113 and 114 in the sides of the V-shaped end thereof. At the apex of the V-shaped end is a onethird circle hole 115. A pin 116 extends from the block 112. through a non-concentric arcuate slot 117 in the annulus 1&3.

V A guide block 118, guided in a guide way 119 in and through base plate M2, and having a pin 121 extending through a non-concentric arcuate slot 122 in annulus 1123, has a beveled end with a half-circle opening 123 and a one-third circle opening 125'. A third guide block 126 is also movable in the guideway 119, which is perpendicular to guideway 111, and has a half-circle opening 124 and a one-third-circle openin 13%; the block 126 has a pin 127 which extends through a non-concentric arcuate slot 128 in annulus 1 .13. The opening 29:3 in annulus 163 is in alignment with the intersection of the g ideways 111 and 11?.

A receiver chute 13:? having a rack 131 on the side thereof in mesh with a pinion 132 driven by a motor 133 is mounted for movement on the base plate 152, receiver chute 136 having an open-sided slot extending longitudinally thereof which is open at its upper and lower ends. Alternatively, the receiver chute 139 may be actuated by a pin and non-concentric slot construction similar to that shown for moving the guide blocks 112, 118 and 126.

On the opposite side of the guide MP1 from the coniber and feeder oil is a die block mechanism generally designated 14 3 and comprising a support 141 (see PEG-S. 1 and 22) having guides 142 and 143 for support blocks 144 and 146, which have therein die blocks 147 and 148. The support blocks and 146 are connected by pins 149 and 151, these pins extending from the block 144 and into appropriate holes in block 14-5. A relatively weak spring (not shown) tends to keep the support blocks and 146 apart, as well as the die blocks 147 and 148. As may be seen in PEG. 1, a rack 15?; extends along the side of support block 144 and has engaged with it a pinion 153 driven by a motor 154. A hammer 155 is carried by a force iechanisin, as a hydraulic ram (not shown), above the support blocks 144- and 146 when these blocks are in position immediately behind the guide The die blocks 147 and 148 are shown in partial, enlarged view in 3516. 23 and may be seen to have mating, undulating surfaces 157 and 158 with mating, part-circular holes extending therethrough, the composite holes being designated 163, 164 and 155 and having enlarged conical entrance portions. The composite holes 1&3, 16d and 165 are in alignment with the holes formed in guide blocks 112, 1153 and 126.

in operation, the leads of a transistor will be moved towards the guide 1 31, with their ends generally aligned with the composite openin s provided by the part'openings previously described in the guide blocks 112, 113 and 12b. 'E'he leads of the transistor will be guided into these composite openings by the enlarged ends thereof, and then will pass through these openings and into the corresponding and aligned composite-openings 163, 154 and 5' of the die blocks 147 and 143, these die blocks being in the position shown in FIG. 1. As the transistor head approaches the guide 101, an appropriate switch (not shown) will energize motor 139 to cause rotation of annulus through arcuate rack 1'37 and pinion Annulus 1% will thus rotate, guided by slots 1134 and screws 1&6, and will thereby cause the withdrawal of the blocks 112, 118 and 12?; to the positions shown in 21 due to the engagement of the pins 116, 121 and 127 with the non-concentric slots 117, 122 and 1223, respectively. After the transistor leads and the transistor head have passed through the plane of annulus 1133 and base plate 1 32, the leads will be hel in the die blocks 14-7 and 1 s3, and the hammer 155' will be caused to give the upper die block 1 28 a sharp blow, which will straighten the leads 1 the transistor. While the leads are thus being straightened, the mot r 135 will be energized to drive the receiver chute 136 upwardly from the position shown in FIG. 20 to that shown in EEG. 21, and the upper end of the receiver chute 130 will generally encompass the head of the transistor T. Thereafter, the motor 354 will be energized to retract the supports 14-4- and 146, with die blocks 147 and 148, to the left as shown in FIG. 1, thereby releasing the leads of the transistor, and permitting the transistor to descend by gravity, with its head in the receiver chute 13d. Thereafter, the parts will return to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 20.

There has been provided a lead comber and straightener, with a guide and a supplementary guide. These devices will rapidly comb the leads of a transistor, and straighten them, the operations being automatically effected. They are entirely dependable in operation.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for handling components comprising a body with leads extending therefrom, means for holding a component body, means for supp ing components to said holding means, means for gripping the leads of the component between the body and the free ends of the leads, means for increasing the distance between the gripping means and the holding means to thereby straighten the leads, means for moving the holdin" means so that the body and leans move generally along the line of the leads, means for removing said gripping means from the path of movement of the body as the body approaches the gripping means, pressing die means for receiving the leads as the leads are moved with the holding means, means intermediate said pressing die means and said holding means for guiding the leads during movement thereof, means for removing said guiding means from the path of movement of the body as the body approaches the guiding means, means for releasing the body from the holding means, means for actuating the pressing .iie means, means for receiving the body while the leads are in the pressing die means, and means for relatively moving the pressing die means and the receiving means to thereby remove the leads from the pressing die means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, and auxiliary guide means between said guiding means and said holding means for guiding said leads.

3. In apparatus for handling components comprising a body with leads extending therefrom, means for bolding a component body, means for gripping the leads of the component between the body and the free ends of the leads, means for increasing the distance between the gripping means and the holding means to thereby straighten the leads, means for moving the holding means so that the body and leads move generally along the line of the leads, means for removing said gripping means from the path of movement of the body as the body approaches the gripping means, pressing die means for receiving the leads as the leads are moved with the holding means, means for releasing t re body from the holding means, means for actuating the pressing die means,

means for receiving the body while the leads are in the pressing die means, and means for relatively moving the pressing die means and the receiving means to thereby remove the leads from the pressing die means.

4. In apparatus for handling components comprising a body with leads extending therefrom, means for holding a component body, means for gripping the leads of the component between the body and the free ends of the leads, means for increasing the distance between the gripping mews and the holding means to thereby straighten the leads, means for moving the holding means so that the body and leads move generally along the line of the leads, means for removing said gripping means from the path of movement of the body as the body 8 approaches the gripping means, pressing die means for receiving the leads as the leads are moved with the holding means, means for releasing the body from the holding means, and means for actuating the pressing die means.

5. In apparatus for handling components comprising a body with leads extending therefrom, means for holding a component body, means for gripping the leads of the component between the body and the free ends of the leads, means for increasing the distance between the gripping means and the holding means to thereby straighten the leads, means for moving the holding means so that the body and leads move generally along the line of the leads, means for removing said grip ing means from the path of movement of the body as the body approaches the gripping means, means for guiding the leads during movement thereof, means for removing said guiding means from the path of movement of the body as the body approaches the guiding means, and means for releasing the body from the holding means.

6. In apparatus for handling components comprising a body with leads extending therefrom, means for holding a component body, means for moving the holding means so that the body and leads move generally along the line of the leads and toward a gripping means, means for guiding the leads during movement thereof, and means for removing said guiding means from the path of movement of the body as the body approaches the guiding means.

7. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for reciprocating said feed bolt, a retainer arm pivotally connected to said feed bolt and having a retainer at its free end in juxtaposition with said nest, means for pivoting said retainer arm to withdraw said retainer after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt, an ejector in said feed bolt and extending into said nest, means for moving said ejector to eject a transistor from said nest at the forward end of the feed bolt travel, a comb carriage slidable in said housing, means for reciprocatin-g said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrying at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, said comb arms having followers extending therefrom into trackway means in said feed bolt for causing said combs to overlap in advance of said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and for causing said comb elements to open after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt.

8. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for reciprocating said feed bolt, an ejector in said feed bolt and extending into said nest, means for moving said ejector to eject a transistor from said nest at the forward end of the feed bolt travel, a comb carriage slidable in said housing, means for reciprocating said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrying at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, said comb arms having followers extending therefrom into trackway means in said feed bolt for causing said combs to overlap in advance of said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and for causing said comb elements to open after a predetermined forward moveent of said feed bolt.

9. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for reciprocating said feed bolt, an ejector rod in said feed bolt and extending into said nest, a lever carried by said feed bolt for moving said eiector rod to eject a transistor from said nest, trip means in said housing for engagement with said lever at the forward end of the feed bolt travel, a comb carriage slidable in said housing, means for reciprocating said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrymg at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, and means for causing said combs to overlap in advance of said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and to open after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt.

10. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for reciprocating said feed bolt, a retainer arm pivotally connected to said feed bolt and having a retainer at its free end in juxtaposition with said nest, means for pivoting said retainer arm to withdraw said retainer after a predetermined fonvard movement of said feed bolt, a comb carriage slid-able in said housing, means for reciprocating said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrying at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, said comb arms having followers extending therefrom into trackway means in said feed bolt for causing said combs to overlap in advance of said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and for causing said comb elements to open after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt.

11. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for reciprocating said feed bolt, a retainer arm pivotally connected to said feed bolt and having a retainer at its free end in juxtaposition with said nest, spring means carried by said feed bolt for urging said retainer away from said feed bolt to withdraw said retainer, means on said housing for permitting pivoting of said retainer arm ordy after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt, a comb carriage slidable in said housing, means for reciprocating said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrying at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, and means for causing said combs to overlap in advance of said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and to open after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt sub-i stantially less than the full forward movement.

12. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for receiprocating said feed bolt, a comb carriage slidable in said housing, means for reciprocating said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrying at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, said comb arms having followers extending therefrom into traclzway means in said feed bolt for causing said combs to overlap in advance or" said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and for causing said comb elements to open after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt.

13. A lead comber comprising a housing, a feed bolt slidable in said housing and having at its forward end a nest for receiving the body of a transistor, means for reciprocating said feed bolt, a comb carriage slidable in said housing, means for reciprocating said comb carriage, a pair of opposed comb arms pivotally secured to said comb carriage, each said comb arm carrying at its forward end a comb, said combs overlapping forwardly of said nest in the closed position thereof, and means for causing said combs to overlap in advance of said nest to thereby separate and comb the leads of a transistor in said nest upon initial forward movement of said comb carriage and to open after a predetermined forward movement of said feed bolt.

14. In an apparatus for handling components, each component comprising a body with a plurality of leads extending from one face or" the body; means for holding the component body, means for moving the holding means so that the body and leads move generally along the axial line of the leads, pressing die means for receiving and maintaining the leads of the components as said leads are moved into the pressing die means by the holding means, means for releasing the body of the component from the holding means when the leads are sufiiciently maintained by said pressing die means and means for actuating the pressing die means to sharply rap the leads simultaneously after the release of the holding means.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING COMPONENTS COMPRISING A BODY WITH LEADS EXTENDING THEREFROM, MEANS FOR HOLDING A COMPONENT BODY, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING COMPONENTS TO SAID HOLDING MEANS, MEANS FOR GRIPPING THE LEADS OF THE COMPONENT BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE FREE ENDS OF THE LEADS, MEANS FOR INCREASING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE GRIPPING MEANS AND THE HOLDING MEANS TO THEREBY STRAIGHTEN THE LEADS, MEANS FOR MOVING THE HOLDING MEANS SO THAT THE BODY AND LEADS MOVE GENERALLY ALONG THE LINE OF THE LEADS, MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID GRIPPING MEANS FROM THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE BODY AS THE BODY APPROACHES THE GRIPPING MEANS, PRESSING DIE MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE LEADS AS THE LEADS ARE MOVED WITH THE HOLDING MEANS, MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID PRESSING DIE MEANS AND SAID HOLDING MEANS FOR GUIDING THE LEADS DURING MOVEMENT THEREOF, MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID GUIDING MEANS FROM THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE BODY AS THE BODY APPROACHES THE GUIDING MEANS, MEANS FOR RELEASING THE BODY FROM THE HOLDING MEANS, MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE PRESSING DIE MEANS, MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE BODY WHILE THE LEADS ARE IN THE PRESSING DIE MEANS, AND MEANS FOR RELATIVELY MOVING THE PRESSING DIE MEANS AND THE RECEIVING MEANS TO THEREBY REMOVE THE LEADS FROM THE PRESSING DIE MEANS. 